News & Events

Team Ontario Announcement

November 13, 2013

ASWCO APPOINTS MARC LALIBERTE AS CHEF DE MISSION

AND STEPHANIE FELETTO AS OPERATIONS MANAGER

OF TEAM ONTARIO'S ENTRY AT 2014 NAIG

NOVEMBER 4, 2013 – TORONTO, CANADA - The Aboriginal Sports & Wellness Council of Ontario ("ASWCO" or the "Council") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Marc Laliberte as Chef de Mission and Stephanie Feletto as Operations Manager of the Team Ontario entry that will be competing at the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (the "2014 NAIG") which will be held at Regina, Saskatchewan in July of 2014.

The North American Indigenous Games is a multisport event involving North American Aboriginal athletes that has been held intermittently in various cities across North America since 1990. Regina 2014 NAIG will host male and female athletes ages 13 to 15 from 13 Canadian provinces and territories and 13 regions from United States as they compete in 15 different sports. In addition to the sports competitions the 2014 NAIG will celebrate and share North American Aboriginal cultures through a showcase of language, tradition, art, song, dance and ceremonies. The theme of the Regina 2014 NAIG is “Raising the Bar” which the games organizers hope to accomplish by exhibiting youth excellence in sports and culture.

In appointing Mr. Laliberte as Team Ontario's Chef de Mission at the 2014 NAIG, ASWCO has selected a well known and respected figure and leader in the Canadian Aboriginal community who has extensive experience participating, coaching and managing teams representing Ontario at high level Aboriginal provincial and national sporting events including coaching for Ontario at the 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 NAIG competitions and serving as Team Ontario's Chef de Mission at the 2008 NAIG competition at Cowichan, British Colombia. Mr. Laliberte has been Ontario's representative on the NAIG Council and the Aboriginal Sport Circle since 2007. Mr. Laliberte, who is currently the President of the Council, stated that "the North American Indigenous Games are extremely important to the Aboriginal community and that there are many Aboriginal athletes in Ontario who will readily confirm that their experiences at the NAIG had an enormously positive effect on their lives and their communities." "I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve the Aboriginal community as the 2014 NAIG will create opportunities for many Ontario Aboriginal youth who already are and will be leaders in their communities," continued Mr. Laliberte. "I look forward to challenges and responsibilities of leading the team that will select, prepare and facilitate Team Ontario's journey to Regina in July 2014," stated Mr. Laliberte. 'I take that responsibility quite seriously," concluded Mr. Laliberte.

Ms. Feletto is also a respected figure in the Aboriginal community and who is a former member of the Council's board of directors and an accomplished athlete who attended the 2008 NAIG as both an athletic participant and team official for Team Ontario. As the Operations Manager of the Team Ontario contingent that will be competing at the 2014 NAIG, Ms. Feletto will be responsible for coordinating and supervising the overall preparation and participation of Ontario's 500 member contingent that will be attending the 2014 NAIG competition. "I'm looking forward to working with ASWCO and I'm excited to begin our journey to the 2014 NAIG," stated Ms. Feletto.

About ASWCO - The Council is a not for profit corporation that serves as the Provincial Territorial Aboriginal Sport Body for Ontario. The Council promotes healthy living and offers training, certification and support for Ontario based, aboriginal coaches, athletes and other sport and recreational organizations engaged in or promoting sports related activities in the province.